Apparatus for producing reinforced concrete structures



g- 6, 1940- J. E. MILLER 7 2.210553 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES Filed March 31. 1937 5 MNTOR' BY TTORNEY.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for producing reinforced concrete structures, and an object of the invention is the manufacture of reinforced concretestructures 5 such as blocks, posts, pipingfor slabs and other forms which will have great power to resist opposing forces applied'thereto in any direction. Another object'of the invention is to provide a reinforced concrete structure in which the con- 10 crete aggregate ,is closely confined or compressed while green and until completely solidified by setting, and the reinforce simultaneously is held under high tension. 1

And a further object of the invention is to 15 provide a simple apparatus for concurrently holding a concrete mass and the reinforce therefor under opposing forces during solidification or setting of the concrete mass.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 90 will appear in the following description.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: Ffgfi is a top plan view of a structure embodying the invention; 7 25 Fig. 2 is an elevation projected from Fig.- 1,

portions thereof being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a reinforced concrete form produced by the appliance shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the method hereinafter de- 3 scribed.

The illustrative embodiment of the appliance with which the method is carried out preferably .consists of a form or mold constituted of a cylindrical wall, the ends of which are open. 35 Or, the wall may be polygonal or shaped as may be required to produce concrete objects of any particular design as may be required. For instance, in the illustration the form or mold l is shown as being cylindrical. Underlying the 40 bottom of the mold is disposed a base 2 upon which the mold is initially positioned and its lower end thereby closed, and reinforce rods 3 are positioned so as to extend through the base up through the form spaced from the interior 45 walls thereof in any suitable relative arrangement. Upon the lower ends of said reinforce rods are disposed washers 4 and nuts 5, said nuts having threaded relation with said rods.

After the form, base and reinforce rods have 50' thus been assembled, freshly mixed concrete 5 while plastic is invested in the mold and subsequently a ram-head I is inserted in the;top of the form which is provided with openings 8 to permit the upper ends of the rods 3 to extend 5'5 therethrough. Washers Sand nuts II are applied to the threaded upper ends of the rods 3 so that upon turning of the nuts downwardly on said rods the ram-head I is thereby forcibly moved downwardly into the mold toward the base and the green mass of concrete thereupon becomes l5 compressed within the walls of the mold between the base and ram-head, and also concurrently with the consequent compression of the plastic 'concrete mass in the mold, the reinforce rods are subjected to the strain of tension to an extent 10 corresponding inversely more or less with the. compression applied to the confined concrete mass.

As the concrete aggregate solidifies while under great pressure and the reinforce rods are under high tension, a bond is formed between the concrete and the reinforce rods so that when the concrete shall have set completely its state of compression and the tension of the rods is substantially sustained and consequently permanent compactness and density of the finished reinforced concrete product is assured.

To augment the pressure of the ram-head during tightening of the nuts III on the reinforce rods while the concrete mass is in a green state, a powerful jack may be applied downwardly upon the ram-head while the base is disposed upon a substantial foundation. The jack and foundation are not included in the illustrations. However, the application of force such as may read-- ilybe applied to the ram-head by means of a jack in a manner such as to cause greater compression of the concrete mass than that applied to the ram-head by tightening of the nuts ill on the rods 3 results in the elimination from the concrete aggregate substantially all entrained air, gas and fluids whereby is insured great density of the concrete body upon its completion.

After theconcrete form II has thoroughly set the mold is removed, as are also the nuts 5 and 40 10 thereby permitting removal of the base and ram-head I. If desired, the washers and nuts may then be re-applied to the projecting ends of the rods 3 so that pressure is exerted against the ends of the completed reinforced concrete body ll. Or, if desired, the projecting ends of the rods beyond the ends of the body may be sheared off flush wth the corresponding ends of the body.

The apparatus herein set forth as an illustrative embodiment thereof ismerely exemplary and is subject to wide variations in structure and its application in carrying outthe method herein set forth. A valuable feature of the invention is that in making the reinforced concrete object with,

within the open end of said'niold, reinforce rods in said mold the opposite ends of which project through said base and ram-head respectively, and nuts threaded on each end of each of said rods so that when the mold is filled with green concrete and said nuts are turned, compression is applied to the concrete in the mold through the medium of said rods, the base and ram-head and simultaneously therewith tension is applied to said rods. I

JOSEPH E. MILLER. 

